Target’s remake is humming along, at a cost

New York – Target’s reinvention plan is driving more people to its stores and its website, where they are spending more for everything from fashion to towels. But the cost of such a massive overhaul is extensive, and it took some of the shine off a strong quarter of sales.

The Minneapolis retailer reported better-than-expected sales in the fourth quarter, which includes the critical holiday period. But those healthy sales were overshadowed by muted earnings and a conservative profit outlook.

In the race to modernize, Target’s profit margins are under significant pressure. The bottom line of every major, traditional retailer is getting bruised trying to hold Amazon.com at bay. Late last month, Walmart reported weak fourth-quarter profits as it stumbled with e-commerce sales during the busiest time of the year.

But whereas Walmart shares suffered their largest one-day percentage drop, an early sell-off in Target on Tuesday began to ease just before the opening bell, suggesting that the traditionally irascible Wall Street may be giving the retailer what it needs most: more time.

More important is winning back customers. Amazon has created fierce loyalty among shoppers who spend $99 for a membership that comes with free shipping, as well as streaming movies and music. Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market last year is also raising the stakes in the grocery business. It recently announced two-hour Whole Foods delivery for Prime members.

Target pledged last year to invest more than $7 billion to modernize over the next three years. That includes remodeling old stores, opening small locations in cities and college towns and faster online delivery. Late last year, the company said it was accelerating plans to remodel more than half of its 1,800 stores by 2020.

It recently acquired the startup Shipt, which will mean same-day delivery from about half of its stores early this year. It’s also testing store-curb pickup for online grocery shopping, and Target is expanding next-day delivery for some products nationwide by the end of this year.

Among the notable costs for Target is its decision to raise its minimum hourly wage for its workers to $11 late last year. That jumps to $15 by the end of 2020. It’s part of the company’s ambition to elevate the experience of customers.

Investors are eager to hear more Tuesday during the company’s annual meeting at its headquarters.

Seth Sigman, an analyst at Credit-Suisse, expects to hear more about how Target will offset rising costs.

“Our fourth quarter results demonstrate the power of the significant investments we’ve made in our team and our business throughout 2017,” said CEO Brian Cornell in a company release.

Target had a profit of $1.1 billion, or $2.02 per share. That compares with $817 million, or $1.45 per share, in the year-ago period.

Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $1.37 per share, which is 2 cents short of analyst projections, according to Zacks Investment Research.